Before the Civil War, the Constitution did not provide protection or even deal with voter rights. In the 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified and provided citizenship for everyone born or naturalized in the United States. In 1870 the 15th Amendment was ratified and stated that the right to vote could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of slavery.

Even with the 14th and 15th Amendments there was a lot of push back against blacks being able to vote. It wasn’t until the 1965 Voter Rights Act that provided a more robust federal law against discrimination practices in the voting process. There have been amendments to the act in 1970, 1975, and 1982.